"For six hundred years, two Turkish nations - Tatars and Karaims have
been living in Lithuania. From linguistic
and ethnogenetic point of view they belong to the oldest Turkish
tribes - Kipchaks. This ethnonym (Kipchak)
for the first time was mentioned in historical chronicles of Central
Asia in the 1st millennium BC.
Anthropologically ancient Kipchaks were very close to Siberia
inhabitants Dinlins, who lived on both sides
of the Sajan Mountains - in Tuva and northern part of Gobi.

In 5th cent. BC Kipchaks lived in the West of Mongolia, in 3 rd cent.
BC they were conquered by Huns.
Since 6 - 8 cent., when the first nomadic Turkish empires were
founded, Kipchak's fate is closely connected
with the history and migration of the Middle Asia tribes.
In Middle Ages Kipchaks started to play an important role in the
Eastern Europe. European historians and
linguists call them Kumans; Russian scientists call them Polovtsy. In
Turkish literature they are known
as Kipchaks.

Following after Turkish oguzes, who were the biggest Turkish tribe, in
10th cent. Kipchaks crossed the Volga
and settled in steppes near the Black Sea and Northern Caucasus. Huge
territories occupied by Kipchaks from
the West of Tian- Shan to the Danube, in 11-15th cent. were called
Dest-e-Kipchak (Kipchak's steppes).
They did not have an integral state; khans guided the union of different tribes.
Khazar's kaganate, spread over southern territories of contemporary
Russia, in 9 th cent.being at its blossom,
was famous for its religious tolerance. Karaim missionaries reached
the kaganate in 8 - 10 cent. passed their
faith to some Turkish tribes (Khazars, Kipchaks-Kumans, and others),
living in the southern steppes of Russia
and Crimea. Common language and religion united these tribes as a
nation for a long time; the name of religion
became ethnonym. Contemporary Lithuanian Karaims are the descendants
of those tribes.

The Karaims of Crimea, Galich-Luck area, Lithuania and Poland who have
common origin, past, religion, language
(with dialects), spiritual and factual culture, make the same nation.

The history of Karaims is connected with Lithuania since 1397-1398.
According to the tradition, The Great Duke
of Lithuania Vytautas, after one of the marches to the Golden Horde
steppes, had to bring from Crimea several hundreds
of Karaims and settle them in the Great Duchy of Lithuania. Vytautas
could bring Karaims after he had beaten one
of the hordes not far from Azov. Transference of several hundreds
Karaim families and several thousands of Tatars was
not done once. It was connected with the state policy of The Great
Duchy - to inhabit the empty areas, to build towns
and castles, to develop trade and economic life.

Initially, Karaims were settled in Trakai between two castles of The
Great Duke, present Karaim Street. Later they were
found living in Birai, Naujamiestis, Pasvalys, Panevoys, however, Trakai has always been the community's administrative
and spiritual centre in Lithuania. Karaims themselves began to hold it
not only a homeland, but as fatherland, too.
Throughout the centuries their ethnic and cultural relations with the
Karaims from Crimea and Galich-Luck areas were not
interrupted either.

In order to get thorough information about Karaims' social, cultural,
ethnic and religious situation, in 1997 The Statistics Department
of Lithuania carried out the ethno-statistic research "Karaims in
Lithuania". It was decided to question all adult Karaims and mixed
families, where one of the members is a Karaim. During the survey, i.e.
beginning 1997 there were 257 Karaim nationality people,
32 among them were children under 16." (Lithuanian Karaim Culture Society, 2007)

The flag of the Lithuanian Karaims is the reconstruction done by me
according to the image shown in James B. Minahan
"Encyclopedia of Stateless Nations: Ethnic and National Groups Around
the World" volume I.